Light & heat basics
Acceptable Forms of Basking Heat
There's a few ways you can go with basking heat. Many people use the basking bulbs found at pet stores. This is an option, if this is what you like. There's nothing inherently wrong with using a pet store basking bulb.
You can also use halogen flood lights from Walmart or the Dollar Store. Additionally, you can use a regular household light bulb. It all depends on what your cages are made out of and how they hold heat. Stacked cages (cages made from pvc, wood, etc) will hold heat higher than glass cages. If I were to use even the lowest watt halogen in my cages, it would put my basking temps over 150 degrees, due to how well my cages hold heat. It all just depends. As long as its clear/white light, its fine for daytime use.
UVB and its Importance
Having proper UVB light in an enclosure is vital to your dragon's overall health. UVB allows for the synthesis of Vitamin D3 and aids in the proper utilization of calcium. Not all UVB light is created equally. Certain brands, such as Arcadia and Repti Sun linear tubes are known for the best output. Others opt for Mercury Vapor Bulbs or MVB's, although I prefer a longer span of coverage so I always opt for linear tubes. Providing proper UVB light for your dragon and keeping it updated (every six months for T8's and every year for T5's) is essential to proper growth and to help prevent Metabolic Bone Disease.
Product Specifics
Basking Lights:
Halogen flood lights , pet store basking bulbs, household bulbs are all fine.
UVB:
Repti Sun 10.0 linear tube (T8 for inside of a cage or T5 can stay on top of a cage since its high output).
Arcadia linear tubes (www.reptilebasics.com sells them at great prices)
Temperature Control:
The stick-on gauges that pet stores sell are pure junk. They're extremely inaccurate and not an ideal way to determine basking spot temperature. I would invest in a $9 laser temperature gun from Amazon or Walmart (kitchen gadgets section) for accurate temp. readings.
Fixtures:
Dome light fixtures from the hardware store are perfect for basking lights.
For UVB lights, Lights of America sells under the cabinet T8 light fixtures. They hold a T8 UVB perfectly. Its called a Lights of America 24" Fluorescent Blacklight Fixture.